Chapter 61: Even Between Geniuses, There Are Gaps
"Roar—!!!"
The Nether Ghost Tiger let out a shrill, wretched howl as it was sent flying backward, as if struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer!
The layer of protective black mist on its body instantly dissipated, and its frontal bone was visibly caved in.
Nowadays, after executing several Black Flashes, as long as it wasn't an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beast specialized in defense, a single Black Flash from Lin Xuan could almost beat it half to death!
This was the heaven-defying nature of Black Flash; besides the ridiculous 2.5-power critical hit bonus, every time it was executed, one would enter a state similar to the "Selfless Realm," allowing them to unleash 120% of their potential.
In other words, executing a Black Flash made one stronger, and getting stronger increased the probability of executing another Black Flash; it was like stepping on one's own left foot with the right to ascend to the heavens.
Lin Xuan didn't even dare to imagine: if he spent a dozen years building up his base stats, wouldn't a single punch be enough to elbow a Titled Douluo to death?
At that moment, the black and white Divine Dogs pounced, giving the heavily injured Nether Ghost Tiger no chance to breathe or launch a final death struggle.
The black dog bit down hard on its throat, while the white dog slammed violently into its soft abdomen!
Accompanied by the tooth-aching sound of cracking bones and the loud crash of breaking trees, the Nether Ghost Tiger was sent rolling away by the combined force of the two powerful Divine Dogs, snapping a large swathe of bowl-thick trees behind it.
Finally, it lay limp on the ground, breathing its last breaths.
The entire process happened in a flash, too fast for the eye to follow!
On the other side, almost simultaneously, Han Ruoruo's battle also came to an end.
Under the siege of the three, the King of the Earth let out an unwilling cry, its massive body crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
The battle ended, and the field instantly fell silent.
Although Han Ruoruo and the two Inner Court disciples had won, they didn't dare relax at all. The three quickly formed a back-to-back defensive formation, their wary gazes immediately turning toward the woodland where Lin Xuan and the Divine Dogs were, which had been turned into a mess by the impact.
The dust and smoke cleared slightly.
First to emerge from the forest were the two extraordinarily majestic Divine Dogs, one black and one white.
Their steps were steady, their eyes sharp, and they exuded an aura no weaker than that of a top-tier five-thousand-year Soul Beast.
Even more striking was that the black Divine Dog was carrying the 12,000-year-old Nether Ghost Tiger by the scruff of its neck, dragging it out like a trophy.
The Nether Ghost Tiger was completely limp, its breath faint; it was clearly on the verge of death.
Seeing these powerful, strange beasts appear so suddenly, the male Inner Court disciple's expression changed drastically, and he immediately assumed a combat stance.
However, Han Ruoruo, standing at the front, saw the young figure slowly walking out of the shadows behind the Divine Dogs. Her wary expression was suddenly replaced by surprise, and she even let out a soft cry.
"Lin Xuan?"
"Long time no see."
Lin Xuan stepped out of the shadows and stood under the firelight with a slight smile on his face.
"Long time no see, Senior Sister Ruoruo."
"Wow! It really is you!" Han Ruoruo's eyes lit up, then she asked in confusion, "Wait, Lin Xuan, why are you in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"Senior Han, do you know this person?" the male disciple asked, not daring to relax in the slightest.
He had clearly seen that the giant beast was carrying a ten-thousand-year Nether Ghost Tiger in its mouth.
This kind of Soul Beast was known for its speed and stealth, as well as its vicious nature. Someone who could kill such a beast so easily in a short time had to be at least two levels stronger than him!
"Let me introduce you. This is Junior Lin Xuan, a freshman who just enrolled this year."
"Lin Xuan, this is Wu Ming, my good friend."
Han Ruoruo pointed to the clear-featured, spirited female disciple beside her.
"Hello, Senior Wu Ming," Lin Xuan greeted with a smile.
"Hello there, little junior!" Wu Ming responded warmly, sizing up Lin Xuan's handsome profile and the two majestic Divine Dogs.
"This is Chu Qingtian, also an Inner Court disciple," Han Ruoruo pointed to the male disciple who was still on guard.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Chu Qingtian slapped his forehead with a "Are you freaking kidding me?" expression.
"Senior Han, you're not joking, are you? This guy is a freaking first-year freshman?"
"Yes, he's a first-year freshman, although Lin Xuan's strength is a tiny bit over the limit." Han Ruoruo held her thumb and index finger a tiny distance apart.
Getting a positive answer again, Chu Qingtian was completely dumbfounded. You can't play like this! If you're a freshman, then who am I? A kid who hasn't even enrolled yet?
"Oh, right, Lin Xuan, you haven't told us why you've come to the Star Dou Great Forest yet?" Han Ruoruo asked.
"It's like this: my Soul Power has reached level 40, so Dean Yan asked Senior Xiaotao and me to come here to find you all and obtain a Soul Ring together," Lin Xuan explained.
"You're already level 40?" Han Ruoruo looked surprised, then shook her head with a smile, marveling, "It's really hard not to envy your talent."
Wu Ming's eyes grew even brighter. Although she had seen countless genius disciples in the Inner Court, she had never seen anyone like Lin Xuan.
As for Chu Qingtian, he was completely silent. It wasn't envy or jealousy; he was just questioning his life. After all, the shock of these few minutes was simply too great.
"Wait, you said Xiaotao is here too?"
Han Ruoruo snapped out of it and looked around, indeed seeing Ma Xiaotao walking out of the woods with a dark expression.
"Sister Ruoruo, Sister Wu Ming."
Ma Xiaotao greeted the two, then glanced at Lin Xuan, her cheeks feeling a bit hot.
Although Lin Xuan's strength had shocked her, she was still a Spirit Emperor after all. To let a Soul Elder beat her to the punch—she'd be laughed to death if word got out.
"That's good. It'll be much safer for everyone to travel together from now on."
Han Ruoruo said as she looked at Lin Xuan, asking with a beaming smile.
"Lin Xuan, do you have any thoughts on your fourth soul ring? Tell us seniors, and we'll help you give some advice."
"Exactly. Although I don't like reading books, I'm very confident in fighting."
Wu Ming said enthusiastically. She could see it now; that Nether Ghost Tiger was likely planning to ambush the three of them, but Lin Xuan had dealt with it first.
Although the Nether Ghost Tiger couldn't kill her, an unexpected sneak attack would definitely be unpleasant.
Ma Xiaotao curled her lip, thinking this mute gourd probably wouldn't speak again... "Then thank you, seniors," Lin Xuan said. "I don't have many requirements for my fourth soul ring; forty to sixty thousand years is fine..."
As soon as these words came out, Han Ruoruo and the other two instantly lost their composure. Listen to that—is that even human speech? A fourth soul ring of fifty or sixty thousand years? I don't even dare to imagine the age of your ninth Soul Ring.
Ma Xiaotao's face turned even darker. Fine, fine, fine. I spent so much time with you and you didn't say a word, but as soon as someone else asks, you talk?
They're all seniors from the Inner Court, why the double standard?
"As for attributes, Light or Dark are both fine. If neither is available, then I'll look at the Soul Beast's innate Soul skills or characteristics."
"Understood. I'll think about which Soul Beasts best match your requirements."
Han Ruoruo snapped out of it and nodded. She didn't have much objection to Lin Xuan's ideas. As for the age of the Soul Ring... empathetic thinking was based on everyone being at the same level, but even between geniuses, there are gaps.
"Uh... hey, Junior Lin Xuan, can I discuss something with you?" Chu Qingtian hesitated but spoke up anyway, pointing to the Nether Ghost Tiger in the Divine Dog's mouth.
"This Soul Beast's age and attributes are quite suitable for me. Junior, could you sell it to me? You can name your price."
Lin Xuan shook his head with a smile and then had the Divine Dog drop the Nether Ghost Tiger on the ground.
"No need for money. Anyway, everyone will be helping me hunt Soul Beasts later."
"This..." Hearing this, Chu Qingtian didn't know what to say for a moment. He opened his mouth and finally said only one sentence in a firm tone.
"Don't worry, Junior. When we hunt Soul Beasts for you, if I take even one step back, I'm not a man."
Lin Xuan's eye twitched. It was best not to set such a flag, especially since they were Shrek students; otherwise, it would be embarrassing if some accident didn't happen.
"Then Qingtian, absorb the Soul Ring immediately. We'll protect you," Han Ruoruo decided.
With a swift strike, a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring emerged from the corpse. Chu Qingtian sat cross-legged on the ground and immediately began to channel and absorb the Soul Ring.
The others sat around resting, talking in low voices.
Amidst the flickering firelight, some topics naturally revolved around Lin Xuan.
With Wu Ming and Han Ruoruo on either side of him, Lin Xuan answered every question calmly, a faint smile always on his lips.
Ma Xiaotao sat alone a bit further away, looking at the boy's profile, which appeared much softer under the firelight, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Although they had known each other for less than a day, and could barely be called acquaintances, let alone friends.
But seeing all this, she just felt a sense of frustration, feeling uneasy no matter what.
About an hour later, the Soul Power fluctuations around Chu Qingtian stabilized. He suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light glinting in them.
The Soul Ring absorption was successful!
"Congratulations," Han Ruoruo nodded with a smile, then stood up and arranged,
"We shouldn't stay here long."
"Minger and I will lead the way, Lin Xuan and Qingtian will be in the middle, and Xiaotao will bring up the rear. We'll head back to Lin Xuan's previous camp to rest for the night and discuss the spirit hunt tomorrow."
The team moved in order, quietly disappearing into the deep shadows of the forest.
On the way, Chu Qingtian quietly sidled up to Lin Xuan, lowered his voice, and gave a thumbs-up while winking.
"Brother, you've got skills! You actually managed to quiet down the two active volcanoes of the Inner Court... But as someone who's been there, I have to give you a piece of advice."
He leaned in closer, his voice extremely low.
"When you're young, you don't know how sweet juniors are, and you mistakenly treat seniors like treasures! When looking for a girlfriend, you've got to find the delicate, gentle, and considerate type, or else you'll suffer later... Ouch!"
Before he could finish, Chu Qingtian suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, and a surge of killing intent, mixed with heat and danger, pricked him like a needle!
Lin Xuan had already moved two steps to the side without a trace.
Cherish life, stay away from gossip.